“I look forward to taking the next steps with you on this great adventure.”

Those are the words Eric Davis told me on May 15, 2013 when he offered me my job. Two and a half years later, those words have held up. I love adventures, and this one has been unlike any other adventure I have had.

Prior to coming to LCSS, adventure had many different meanings for me. Jumping out of a plane, ATVing through the Hatfield-McCoy trails, or hiking to the top of Mt. LeConte were all things that brought “adventure” to my mind. Those adventures were thrilling, they were dangerous, and they were exciting.

I can say that the adventure here at LCSS hasn’t been very dangerous. It has, however, been thrilling and exciting. Working with all of our amazing educators and students has been a blessing. I have the opportunity to collaborate with a lot of different educators in my circles, and I can promise you that we have some of the best people to work with in the country.

The last few years have truly been a great adventure. I’m so proud of everything that our students and faculty have accomplished. Without all of their hard work, none of the things that have been accomplished would have been possible.

The reason that I came to LCSS in the beginning was easy to spell out. LCSS had everything that a school system would need to be successful. They had (and still do) a great faculty, a forward thinking leadership, a vision of what student-centered learning looks like, and the support to implement changes that support that type of classroom. I can tell you that these things are a part of what makes LCSS great now, and are a part of what will continue to make LCSS great moving forward.

The byproduct of coming to LCSS that I did not expect or think about was the culture that grounded and supported me in my faith. Being in an environment where sharing your faith is freely encouraged and promoted has been incredible. The people at LCSS don’t work here to become rich and they don’t work here just to have a job. The people that work here, that you entrust your students with, work here because of one thing: Christ and him crucified.

Being surrounded by faculty, staff, and students who are all immersed in this knowledge has been a life altering experience for me. I will be forever grateful to LCSS and everything they have done for me.

To close, there are so many people that I need to thank. To list them all on this post would be too much, so I hope to get time to speak with everyone before I go. From the bottom of my heart, I can only say thank you. What you have all meant to me is more than I could have ever imagined or hoped for. Good luck as you all continue on this great adventure. The adventure that shares Christ and him crucified.